About

David R. Hodas, Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Law. Professor Hodas received a B.A. cum laude and with departmental honors from Williams College in 1973; a J.D. cum laude from Boston University School of Law in 1976; and an LL.M. in Environmental Law from Pace University School of Law in 1989, where he was the Feldshuh Fellow. Following graduation from law school, Professor Hodas practiced law for 12 years in both government and in private practice. Professor Hodas is admitted to practice in Delaware.

Professor Hodas joined the faculty at Widener in 1989, when he founded and directed the Law School’s Environmental Law Clinic, now known as the Environmental Law and Natural Resources Clinic. He teaches and writes in the areas of Environmental Law, Climate Change law, sustainable Energy Law, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, International Environmental Law, and Enforcement of Environmental Law. A co-author of Climate Change Law: Mitigation and Adaptation (West 2009), the groundbreaking work Environmental Costs of Electricity (Oceana 2010) as well as over 30 articles and book chapters, Professor Hodas has twice won the Douglas E. Ray Excellence in Scholarship Award. In 2010, one of his articles was named the Best American Bar Association article on environmental, energy and natural resource law.

Professor Hodas has been active in a number of local, national, and international professional and civic organizations. These include the Governing Board of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, and the Editorial Board of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law E-Journal. For many years he was an active member of the Editorial Board of Natural Resources and Environment. He was appointed by several presidents of the American Bar Association to serve on its Standing Committee on Environmental Law, and chaired the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Committee for the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. Prof. Hodas is a member of the Environmental Law Commission of the IUCN-The World Conservation Union, and its energy law experts group. He chairs the Delaware Governor’s Energy Advisory Council, a statutory body responsible for drafting the State’s energy plan. He has been a speaker at many local, national and international conferences. Professor Hodas was also a Master in the Delaware Valley Environmental American Inns of Court.

What inspires me to teach? Why do lawyers matter?

I profoundly believe that our country’s deep commitment to the rule of law accounts for its greatness, and that well-trained lawyers are essential for our nation to thrive and be just. So I am dedicated to teaching the next generation of law students to expertly and ethically assist clients achieve their goals and to advocate for their rights. By teaching and my example, I also seek to instill in students the legal skills and passion to improve their communities and to imagine and craft the laws needed to address present and future social, economic, and environmental challenges.

State Law Responses to Global Warming: Is It Constitutional to Think Globally and Act Locally?, Symposium on Environmental Law and The Constitution, 21 PACE ENVTL. L. REV. 53 (2003), reprinted in DANIEL A. FARBER AND JIM CHEN, DISASTERS AND THE LAW: KATRINA AND BEYOND 312 (Aspen 2006)

Legal Risk and Ecosystem Services University of Otago Faculty of Law, Dunedin, New Zealand (2 April 2014)

Sustainable Energy Law in New Zealand, University of Auckland, Auckland NZ (1 March 2014), Waikato University Law School, Hamilton NZ (15 March 2014) and University of Otago Law School, Dunedin, NZ (3 April 2014)

Education

B.A., cum laude and honors in political science, Williams College (1973)

Academic Experience

H. Albert Young Fellow in Constitutional Law (2013-2015); Distinguished Professor of Law (2011-2013); Professor of Law (since 2001); and Associate Professor of Law (1989 - 2001), Widener University School of Law, Wilmington, DE

Teaching and Research in environmental law, administrative law, constitutional law, climate change law, energy law and policy, enforcement of environmental law, and international environmental law

Symposium Chair and Faculty Editor, Vol. 3, WIDENER LAW SYMPOSIUM J., THE ROLE OF LAW IN DEFINING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (1998); and Vol. 9, No. 2, WIDENER LAW SYMPOSIUM J., COMBATING TERRORISM IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL TRENCHES (2003) (NOW WIDENER LAW REVIEW)

Founder and Director (1989-1992), Widener University School of Law Environmental Law Clinic

Widener University School of Law International Law Institute, University of Nairobi, Kenya, International Environmental Law (Summer 1992)

Visiting Professor: University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand (Summer 2008) and (Feb – April 2014)

Adjunct Professor (2002 to present) College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, University of Delaware, Newark DE

Guest Lecturer: Williams College (May 2011, April 2013);University of Texas Law School (July 2011, July 2012)

ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS OF ELECTRICITY, Prepared for New York State Energy Research & Development Authority & U.S. Department of Energy (Pace University Center for Environmental Legal Studies: with Richard L. Ottinger et al., eds., Oceana 1990).

Global Warming, in ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS OF ELECTRICITY 127, Prepared for New York State Energy Research & Development Authority & United States Department of Energy (Pace 4 University Center for Environmental Legal Studies: David Hodas et al. eds., Oceana 1990).

State Law Responses to Global Warming: Is It Constitutional to Think Globally and Act Locally?, Symposium on Environmental Law and The Constitution, 21 PACE ENVTL. L. REV. 53 (2003), reprinted in DANIEL A. FARBER AND JIM CHEN, DISASTERS AND THE LAW: KATRINA AND BEYOND 312 (Aspen 2006)

Sustainable Energy Law in Indian Country, PROCEEDINGS, ABA SECTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES, ENERGY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL LAW, 8TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IN INDIAN COUNTRY, Albuquerque, NM (Nov. 7-8, 1996)

Enforcement of Environmental Law in a Triangular Federal System: Can Three Not Be A Crowd When Enforcement Authority Is Shared by The United States, The States, and Their Citizens?, in Environmental Federalism Symposium, 54 MD. L. REV. 1552 (1995), reprinted in DANIEL A. FARBER ET AL., ENVIRONMENTAL LAW: CASES AND MATERIALS 409 (Thomson West 2006).

State Regulatory Responses to the Risk of Climate Change, PROCEEDINGS, THE 23RD ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (Keystone, CO, March 10-13, 1994)

The Greening of America's Energy Policy--A View From the States: Public Utilities and Global Warming, PROCEEDINGS, ANNUAL MEETING OF AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SECTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES, ENERGY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL LAW (Asheville, NC September 30, 1993)

Legal Risk and Ecosystem Services University of Otago Faculty of Law, Dunedin, New Zealand (2 April 2014)

Sustainable Energy Law in New Zealand, University of Auckland, Auckland NZ (1 March 2014), Waikato University Law School, Hamilton NZ (15 March 2014) and University of Otago Law School, Dunedin, NZ (3 April 2014)

A Global Law of Sustainable Energy, presentation at IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, 2012 Annual Colloquium: GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AT A CROSSROADS University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore, MD (July 4, 2012)

Law, Ecosystem Valuation and Risk Allocation, IUCN Environmental Law Centre, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Research Committee, and IUCN Commission on Environmental Law Workshop: Ecosystem Services, Economic Valuation, and Environmental Equity: Complementary or Contradictory? University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, Baltimore, MD (June 30, 2012)

Rethinking law in a complex system: energy, water and climate change, at Water and the Law: Towards Sustainability, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law 9th Annual Colloquium, Mpekweni, Eastern Cape, South Africa July 7, 2011

Seeing into Law’s Blindspot: Ecosystem Energy Services, at Research Workshop: Towards the legal recognition and governance of ecosystem services, IUCN Commission on Environmental Law. IUCN Environmental Law Center, and IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Research Committee, Mpekweni, Eastern Cape, South Africa July 3, 2011

Does the United States Have a Post-Kyoto Climate Change Policy-- If So, What Is It and What Will Be Its Impact on Developing Countries? 2nd International Environment Congress - Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities for Colombia, de Estudios Para el Desarrollo Sostenible, Bogota, Columbia, 1 – 2 October 2009

Keynote Speaker, Symposium: Advocating for an Environment of Equality: Legal and Ethical Duties in a Changing Climate, University of Oregon Law School, Eugene, OR, September 11, 2009

A Comparison of U.S. and E.U. Policy Approaches to Climate Change, Environmental Law Experts Meeting: The European Position Towards Copenhagen – A Global Outlook, Law Faculty, Maastricht University, Maastricht Netherlands, 20 May 2009

The Prospect of Zero GHG Emission Cars, Symposium: LIVING ON A FINITE EARTH: Energy Law and Policy for a New Era, J. ENVMTL L. & AND LITIGATION, School of Law, University of Oregon, October 10, 2008

The Role of Lawyers as Leaders in Addressing Climate Change, at Global Warming: How the Law Can Best Address Climate Change, 35th American Bar Association National Spring Conference on the Environment, Univ. of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore, MD June 8, 2007

Moderator, Motivating Behavior – Compliance and Beyond: The Role of Culture and Custom, 4th Colloquium, IMPLEMENTING ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION: The Critical Role of Enforcement and Compliance, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, Pace University School of Law, White Plains, NY, 16 October 2006

Conference chair and session moderator, 34th American Bar Association National Spring Conference on the Environment, Ecosystems, Infrastructure and the Environment: Reconciling Law, Policy and Nature, University of Maryland Law School, Baltimore, MD, 9 June 2006.

Energy and Ecosystem Services, at The Law and Policy of Ecosystem Services: A Symposium, Florida State University School of Law, 7-8 April 2006

Moderator, Interstate Battles Over Water Panel, Water Wars in the East: The Newest Legal Battlefield, 31st American Bar Association National Spring Conference on the Environment, University of Maryland Law School, Baltimore MD, 30 May 2003

May A Lawyer Accept Stock in a Client('s) Corporation As A Legal Fee? Delaware State Bar Assoc., Fundamentals of Lawyer-Client Relations, 7 May 1997, Wilmington, DE

Sustainable Energy Law in Indian Country, at ABA Section of Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law, 8th Annual Conference on Environment and Development in Indian Country, 7-8 Nov. 1996, Albuquerque, NM

Symposium organizer, moderator, and presenter, Law, Externalities and Sustainable Development, WIDENER LAW SYMPOSIUM JOURNAL Symposium, The Role of Law in Defining Sustainable Development, Wilmington DE, 22 Nov 1996 (cosponsored by the ABA Section of Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law, and presented in cooperation with the ABA Standing Committee on Environmental Law)

Using Environmental Externalities to Regulate the Risk of Harm From Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 3d International Conference on Environmental Externalities: Social Costs of Energy Conversion and Transportation in the United States and Europe for a Sustainable Development, 27-30 May, 1995, Ladenburg, Germany

Enforcement and Implementation of Federal Environmental Law: Federal, State and Citizen Enforcement, at the 1995 Quinn, Ward and Kershaw Environmental Symposium, University of Maryland Law School, 7 April 1995, Baltimore, MD.

The Climate Change Convention and Evolving Models of Sustainable Development, at Colloquium, The Post-Rio Treaties, Pace University School of Law, September 1994

The Greening of America's Energy Policy, Annual Meeting of the ABA Section of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment, Asheville, NC, 30 September 1993

Quantifying Environmental Externalities: Good Environmental Policy or a Regulatory Black Hole?, panel cosponsored by Special Committee on Global Climate of the ABA Section on Natural Resources, Energy and Environment and Environmental Committee of the Federal Energy Bar Association, Washington, DC, 22 June 1993

Environmental Externalities, Climate Change, and Public Utility Law: Old Problems, New Directions, Utility Reform Seminar: Electric Utilities and the Environment, Pace University School of Law, White Plains, NY, 8 March 1993.

Structuring a Course in International Environmental Law, at American Society of International Law, International Environmental Law Interest Group, Workshop "Teaching International Environmental Law," at Institute of Comparative Law, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 26 October 1992.

Commentator and Participant, 2nd International Conference, Incorporation of Social Costs of Energy in Resource Acquisition Decisions, convened by Pace University Center for Environmental Legal Studies and Fraunhofer-Institut Für Systemtecknik und Innovationsfosschung, sponsored by The German Marshall Fund of the United States and The Johnson Foundation, at Wingspread, Racine, WI, 8-11 Sept. 1992.

The Role of Environmental Externalities in State Energy Policy, State of Indiana, Indiana Energy Policy Forum, Indiana Government Center South, Indianapolis, Indiana, 21 May 1992.

Suing Polluters: The Role of Citizen Enforcement in a Federalist System, Widener University School of Law Faculty Development, 11 November 1991.

Law and Environmental Externalities, World Bank Environment Department, Washington, DC, 13 September 1991

International Environmental Law and the Global Commons, World Bank Legal Dept., Washington, DC, 21 June 1991

Participant and Paper Presenter, The Externalities of Global Warming at German-American Workshop, External Environmental Costs of Electric Power, sponsored by The German Marshall Fund of the United States and The Gottlieb-Daimler und Karl Benz-Stiftung, Ladenberg, Germany, 23-25 October 1990.

Standing Committee on Environmental Law, American Bar Association, 2001 – 2006; Planning Committee Chair, 34th American Bar Association National Spring Conference on the Environment, Ecosystems, Infrastructure and the Environment: Reconciling Law, Policy and Nature, held at the University of Maryland Law School, June 9, 2006.

Environmental Law Commission, IUCN-The World Conservation Union, 1994-present; member of Energy Working Group, 2000-present

Credentialed Delegate for IUCN-The World Conservation Union, United Nations Economic and Social Council, Ad Hoc Open-Ended Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Energy and Sustainable Development, 1st Session, March 6-10, 2000, and 2d Session February 26 - March 2, 2001

Credentialed Delegate for IUCN-The World Conservation Union, United Nations Economic and Social Council, Commission on Sustainable Development, 9th Session, Multistakeholder dialogue on sustainable energy and transport, April 16-20, 2001

National panel of commercial and construction law arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association, and member of the panel of arbitrators established by the joint agreement between AAA and Clean Sites, Inc. for the arbitration and mediation of disputes relating to Superfund matters, 1982 to 1994